Trust fund and feasibility study for public market dev’t sought

Councilor Yuri Weygan has proposed three interrelated ordinances aimed at modernizing, redeveloping, and sustainably managing the Baguio City Public Market.
The first one seeks to establish the Public Market Development Trust Fund (BPM-DTF), a special-purpose fund to be maintained as a separate account in the city’s books.
The fund will be sourced primarily from incremental increases in market stall rentals, portions of market-related fees, income from market-owned facilities, lawful grants, donations, contributions, and other authorized sources. Existing market development funds will remain separate, though portions may augment the Trust Fund if necessary.
The Trust Fund is intended exclusively for major development, redevelopment, and modernization projects identified in an approved feasibility study. Eligible expenditures include detailed engineering designs, master planning, technical studies, construction or major rehabilitation works, capital outlays for infrastructure systems such as structural, fire safety, sanitation, drainage, utilities, disaster-resilience features, and other capital costs necessary for approved development phases.
The fund cannot be used for routine maintenance, daily operations, minor repairs, or expenses outside the approved feasibility study. Any proposed use must be certified for consistency with the study by the City Planning, Development, and Sustainability Office (CPDSO) and approved by the Baguio City Council.
Administration of the Trust Fund will be under the City Treasurer, with oversight from the City Mayor and the Baguio City Council, in coordination with related people’s councils. Disbursements will follow approved programs or projects and comply with all applicable budgeting, procurement, accounting, and auditing rules, including Commission on Audit regulations.
The ordinance also includes transparency measures, requiring annual reporting on the fund’s status and utilization, and mandates prior consultation with affected vendors for any proposed increases in stall rentals intended to augment the fund.
The second ordinance authorizes a feasibility study as a prerequisite for any major development or modernization project at the Public Market.
The study will examine economic, social, cultural, environmental, institutional, technical, and financial implications of proposed development options. It will cover economic impacts on vendors, employment, and city revenues; social and equity considerations; cultural heritage; environmental sustainability; urban planning and traffic impacts; legal and institutional governance; technical and engineering assessments; and financial and investment viability.
The feasibility study will be conducted by the CPDSO, with technical assistance from qualified consultants. The Baguio Public Market Development Council (BPMDC), created through a separate ordinance, will serve as the primary consultative and oversight entity to ensure stakeholder participation and transparency. Stakeholder consultations will convene vendors, workers, consumers, transport groups, nearby residents, civil society organizations, and the business sector.
Outputs of the study will include an executive summary, baseline data, sectoral impact matrices, development alternatives, conceptual site and layout plans, preliminary engineering and technical specifications, financial and economic models, risk assessments, a stakeholder consultation report, an implementation roadmap, and final recommendations.
The draft study will undergo an independent peer review by qualified experts and be presented to the public and the Baguio City Council before any project is approved.
Funding for the feasibility study will be charged against available city appropriations. Any subsequent development project arising from the study must identify and justify its sources of funding.
The third ordinance establishes the BPMDC as a multi-sectoral advisory and consultative body to coordinate planning, oversee development initiatives, and ensure stakeholder participation, transparency, and policy continuity.
The BPMDC will review and update market development plans, promote accountability and good governance, safeguard vendor and worker welfare, integrate sustainability and disaster-resilience principles, and serve as a consultative venue for resolving market-related issues.
The BPMDC will be chaired by the City Mayor or a designated representative and co-chaired by a representative from accredited public market vendors’ associations. Its members are city officials, sectoral representatives from vendors, workers, business organizations, civil society organizations (CSOs), the academe, and religious groups.
The CPDSO will serve as the BPMDC Secretariat. Sectoral representatives will be nominated and endorsed according to their respective constituencies while ex-officio members serve by virtue of their positions. Non-ex officio members serve two-year terms and may be reappointed for one additional term.
Funding for the operations of the BPMDC will be charged against available city appropriations or other sources.
These three proposed measures have all been approved on first reading by the Baguio City Council and referred to the Committee on Market, Trade and Commerce, and Agriculture for review. **Jordan G. Habbiling